Rope structure



Aug. 4, 1942.

w. F. HYNES ROPE STRUCTURE Filed Jun '7, 1941 Inventor: Wildric F. Hynes,

I-iis Attorney.

Patented Aug. 4, 1 942 ROPE STRUCTURE Wildric F. Hynes, Portland, reg., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application June 7, 1941, Serial No. 397,033

8 Claims.

My invention relates to a rope structure which is particularly adapted to perform the dual function of hoisting an elevator cage, for example a mine cage, and also establishing electrical connection with apparatus carried by the cage.

It is an object of my invention to provid an improved hoisting rope structure for elevators, mine hoists or the like which incorporates an electrical cable or cables therein.

It is further an object of my invention to provide an improved flat hoisting rope which incorporates an electric cable or cables therein for the purpose of establishing electrical power or communication connections with an elevator cage, or mine cage or mine skip, and which may be wound upon a hoisting reel without danger of injury to the electrical circuits. 1

The features of my invention which I believe to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention itself, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by referenc to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig, l is a diagrammatic perspective View of an electric hoist embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of one form of improved flat rope structure which embodies my invention and may be utilized in the hoist of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view through the rope structure of Fig. 2, showing its details of construction more clearly.

The hoist of Fig. 1 comprises the cage It, which may for example be a mine cage locate-d within a mine shaft. The cage II] is raised and lowered by means of a flat, ribbon-like rope II passing over sheaves l2 and secured to a hoisting reel [3. The reel I3 is secured to the shaft of a suitable source of mechanical power, represented by the electric motor I4.

It is often desirable to communicate with the moving cage ID from other points or to supply electric power to the cage for control operations, electric lighting, or other purposes. By way of illustration, a telephone station located within the cage III is indicated by the dashed outlines of the box I5 and a second stationary telephone station located at another point, for example near the mouth of the mine shaft, is indicated by the dashed outlines of the box I6. The two stations are interconnected by means of connections including conductors I! connected to the station I5 and. passing up through the rope II, slip rings I8 and brushes I9 on the face of the reel I3, and conductors 2c connected to the station I6.

Trailing cables for telephone or power purposes, such as are commonly used on office building elevators, are out of the question for use in mine shafts because of the great depths to Which these shafts customarily run, often many thousands of feet. Furthermore, trailing cables are very liable to be broken by falling materials and otherwise damaged by abrasion against the shaft walls, etc. It has heretofore been proposed to put insulated electrical conductors within one or more of the hoisting cables. However, this has proved unsatisfactory by reason of the fact that enormous compressive forces are developed between adjacent layers of the rope I I on the drum I3, particularly when the cage [0 has been lowered to a great depth. This causes the strands of the hoisting cable to crush the conductor insulation and cut through it very quickly, grounding the electrical system and causing early failure.

A fragmentary section of an improved form of flat rope which is eminently satisfactory both for hoisting the cage [0 and making electrical connection therewith is represented in Fig. 2. In the form shown, this rope comprises a plurality of multi-strand wire hoisting cables if of high tensile strengths. These cables are arranged side by side in a single layer, a shown, to form a flat hoisting rope. One end of each of these cables is secured to the cage I0 and the other end to a clevis on the hoisting reel l3 so that they may all be coiled up together on the reel in the form of a fiat spiral. The individual cables 2! are preferably helically wound and alternately of right and left lays in order to prevent the rope from spinning or twisting in the elevator shaft.

Two electrical cables 22 are also shown in Fig. 2, each laid along one outside edge of the layer of hoisting cables 2!. It will of course be understood that there may be only one electrical cable or that several cables may be employed, depending upon the use to which. they are put. For example, in the telephone system illustrated, it may be desirable to connect the two cables 22 in parallel to insure continuity of service in the event that one cable should become damaged. Each of the cables 22 is preferably provided with a spiral metal armor wrap in order to protect the current conductors and to prevent abrasion of the insulation when it is wound against one of the cheek or guides of the reel I3.

The cables 2| and 22 are secured against transverse separation by means of binding wires 23 which are preferably soft iron wires of small diameter. As is more clearly shown in Fig. 3, these binding wires are sewn through th hoisting cable 2| and passed around the electrical cables 22.

While the hoisting cables 2| have been represented as four-strand cables, each strand being composed of seven individual wires, it will of course be understood that this is merely illustrative and that any well known forms of hoisting cables may be employed. Each of the hoisting cables 2| is also preferably provided with a center 24 of hemp or analogous material, as is usual.

The electrical cable 22 of Fig. 3 is represented as having a single stranded conductor 25 at its center surrounded by suitable insulating material 26 which is in turn covered by the spiral metal wrap 21 to prevent abrasion of the insulation, as previously described. It will of course be understood that any suitable form of electrical cable may be employed and that it may have severalinsulated current carrying conductors.

In Fig. 3 the effective, or maximum, outside diameter of each hoisting cable 2| has been represented by the dashed circle 28.- Thus, the maximum thickness of the cables 2| in the direction at right angles to the face of the rope is indicated by the dimension B. The maximum outside diameter of the electrical cable 22 in the same direction is indicated by the dimension A. In accordance with my invention, the dimension A is made less than the dimension B so that the total thickness of the electrical cable, including the thickness of the binding wires 23 is less than a the thickness of other parts of the flat rope. Consequently, when the rope II is wound upon the hoisting reel l3, the compressive or crushing forces between adjacent layers will be taken entirely by the hoisting cable 2| and the adjacent L layers of the electrical cable 22 will not be subjected to these forces.

It will of course be apparent that the minimum diameter of the hoisting reel I3 should be large enough to prevent undue bending stresses on the electrical cables 22 as they are coiled. At the end of the rope attached to the clevis on the hoisting reel, sufficient slack should also be allowed in the electrical cables 22 to insure that they will not be subjected to longitudinal stresses as a result of the reeling operation.

Although emphasis has been placed on the fact that my improved rope structure has particular utility in connection with a mine hoist, it will of course be understood that it may be employed with other types of elevators and hoisting apparatus. Furthermore, while' I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited thereto since various modifications may be made, and I contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a hoisting cable adapted to be wound upon a reel one turn upon another, and an electric conductor attached to one side of said cable, said cable possessing greater resistance to crushing forces than said conductor and having such dimension measured radially between turns that said conductor is not subjected to crushing forces as great as those to which said cable is subjected. when said cable and conductor are wound together upon said reel.

2. In combination, a flat hoisting cable adapted to be wound upon a reel one turn upon another, an electrical conductor, and means to attach said conductor to an edge of said hoisting cable, said cable possessing greater resistance to crushing forces than said conductor and. having such dimension measured radially between turns as to substantially relieve said conductor from compressive forces between turns when said cable and conductor are wound together on said reel.

3. In combination, a hoisting rope adapted to be wound upon a hoisting reel in the form of a flat spiral, an electrical cable, and means for securing said cable to a side of said hoisting rope out of the plane of said spiral, said rope being thicker than said cable as measured in a radial direction when Wound upon said reel, whereby said cable is not subjected to the crushing forces to which said rope is subjected when wound upon said reel.

4. A hoisting and electrically conducting rope structure comprisingin combination, a plurality of cables positioned side by side to form a ribbonlike rope, certain of said cables being hoisting cables and at least one of said cables being an electrical cable, the thickness of said electrical cable being less than the thickness of said hoisting cables in the direction at right angles to the face of said rope, and means for securing all said cables together to prevent transverse separation from each other.

5. A flat rope structure for hoisting a mine cage or the like and for establishing electrical connection therewith comprising a plurality of flexible cables arranged side by side and adapted to be coiled together upon a hoisting reel in the form of a flat spiral, certain of said cables being multistrand hoisting cables of relatively high mechanical strength, at least one of said'cables being an insulated electrical cable having one or more current conductors and possessing relatively low resistance to crushing forces, and means comprising transverse binding wires for securing all said cables against transverseseparation, said hoisting cables having effective diameters greater than the effective diameter of said electrical cable, whereby said electrical cable'is relieved from crushing forces incident to coiling said rope structure upon a hoisting reel.

6. A multi-purpose fiat rope for-mine hoists or the like comprising, in combination, a plurality of similar flexible hoisting. cables of relatively high tensile strengths, said cables being laid side by side to form aribbon-like, single layer hoisting rope, at least one flexible electrical cable laid along an edge of said hoisting rope, said electrical cable carrying one or more insulated current con ductors and possessing low mechanical strength relative to said hoisting cables, the maximum thickness of said electric cable being substantially less than the maximum thickness of said hoisting cables in the direction at right angles to the face of said rope, and transverse binding wires for securing all said cables against transverse separation.

7. A combined hoisting and electrically conducting flat rope structure for mine hoists and the like comprising a plurality of multi-strand, wire hoisting cables of relatively high tensile strengths arranged side by side and adapted to be wound together upon a hoisting reel in the form of a flat spiral, a flexible armored electric cable carrying one or more current conductors and arranged along an outside edge of an outermost one of said hoisting cables, said electrical cable being adapted to be Wound with said hoisting cables upon a hoisting reel and possessing relatively lower resistance to crushing forces, and transverse binding wires sewed through the strands of said hoisting cables and encircling said electrical cable to maintain all cables in transverse alignment, the effective outside diameters of said hoisting cables being substantially greater than the outside diameter of said electrical cable, whereby said electrical cable is relieved from crushing forces developed between layers when said rope structure is wound upon a hoisting reel.

8. A flat rope structure for hoisting a mine cage or the like and for establishing electrical communication therewith comprising, in combination, a plurality of multi-strand flexible wire hoisting cables of relatively high tensile strengths laid side by side and adapted to be wound together in a single layer upon a hoisting reel, a pair of flexible armored electric cables each laid along one outside edge of said layer of hoisting cables, said electrical cables being adapted to be wound with said hoisting cables upon a hoisting reel and possessing relatively lower resistance to crushing forces, and transverse binding wires sewed through the strands of said hoisting cables and encircling both said electrical cables to maintain all cables in transverse alignment, the effective outside diameters of all said hoisting cables being substantially greater than the outside diameter of said electrical cable whereby said electrical cables are relieved from crushing forces developed between layers when said rope structure is wound upon a hoisting reel.

WILDRIC F. HYNES. 

